Retainer for neckwear.



N0. 633,58l. Patented Sept. 26, I899. J. A. FLUMERFELT & L. A. w. LUND.

RETAINER FDR NECKWEAR.

(Application filed Dec. 18, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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NITEZD STATE PATENT rrrca.

JAMES A.

N. Y.; SAID LUND ASSIGNOR TO SAID FLOMERFEL'II.

RETAINER FOR NECKWEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 633,581, dated September 26, 1899.

Applioationfiled December 18, 1897. Serial No. 662,395. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

lle itknown that WQ,JAMES A. FLOMERFELT, a citizen of the United States, and LAUREN- 'IIUS A. \V. LUND, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residents of New York city, county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Retainers for Neckwear, (for which we have received a British patent, No. 7,752, dated March 31, 1898,) of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to retainers for neckties and scarfs in general, but more particularly forholding a scarf or tie neatly inplace upon a standing collar.

One object of our invention is to produce a device of this character which will c 'lasp and firmly hold the neckband of the scarf or tie at two points upon opposite sides of the knot or bow at the front of the collar.

Another object is to provide a retainer which will hold the tie down by means of a clasp which engages the 'neckband adjacent to its lower edge at each side of the knot or bow, which shall be small and neat, and the part of the retainer exposed to view shall be highly ornamental in order to obviate the necessity of using a scarf-pin in the knot of the scarf.

Many persons deem the use of a scarf-pin as vulgar, and others have an aversion to the use of such pins owing to the fact that fine and light-colored scarfs are easily soiled and rumpled in improperly inserting the pin,while that portion of the scarf in which the pin is placed soon becomes worn and unsightly. In fact, there has developed recently a high-class demand for a retainer for neckwear which will dispense with the use of pins and which will be neat in appearance and reliable in use. Heretofore it has been proposed to hold the neckband of scarfs and neckties in place by a clasp which overlaps the band; but such a device is obviously objectionable and limited in its usefulness owing to the fact that the neckbands of scarfs and ties vary in width to some extent, and with the wider neckbands such a device would form folds in the band at the point of attachment. On the other hand, if the clasp is made of sutficient length to allow for a wide band then an unsightly appearance is given to it when used with a narrow band. lVith a retainer made in accordance with our invention the width of the neck-band does not interfere with its appearance or effectiveness. The neckband is clasped near its lower edge and held down, and it is equally applicable to all styles of scarfs-Dejoinvilles, Ascots, orbows'-and is particularly attractive for ladies wear.

We attain the obj ect-s herei nbefore referred to by the construction shown in the accom panying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a shirt, a collar, and ascarf with our retainers in place at each side of the knot in the scarf. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the collar and neckband of the scarf and showing the retainer-clasp open in full lines and engaging the tie in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the retainer, showing the clasp open. Fig. lis a transverse sectional view taken on a line adjacent to the pintle.

Referringnow to the drawings by figures of reference, 1 indicates the collar-clasp, which is preferable formed from a flat sheet-metal blank which is doubled upon itself to embrace and clamp the collar. This blank has a spring-tongue 2 cut from it by forming the slits 3 in the blank. At the upper end of the opposite member a projection at is formed, which is bent at 5 toward the opposite member of the collar-clasp. It will be obvious, however, that this colIar-clasp could be formed of spring-wire, if desired. In yertical section this portion of the retainer is substantially U-shaped and is designed to engage the lower edge of the collar after it has been buttoned to the neckband of the shirt. At the opposite sides of the spring-tongue 2, near the bend in the clasp, a pintle-bearing 6 is formed by bending up two ears cut from the metal blank.

The retainer-clasp or neck band-clasp consists of a sheet-metal blank comprising the tongue or lever 7, the two side lugs 8, and the end bearing 9. A pintle passes through the bearings t3 and the side lugs 8 and pivots the retainer-clasp to the collar-clasp at its lower edge. Points or prongs 11 are bent at right angles to the tongue or lever 7, and these points are designed to catch the necktie or scarf or to pass through it and engage the apertures 12 in the collar-clasp. It will be noticed that the tongue or lever '7 is held in its open or closed position by means of the spring-tongue 2, which bears against the portion 9 to hold the lever or tongue in open position and against the side lugs 8 and the top edge of the portion J to hold the tongue closed to carry the points 11 into or through the tie and seat them in the apertures 12 of the collar-clasp. Itwill be noticed thatthe retainer clasp or tongue 7 is disposed slightly below the lower portion of the collar clasp and that the spring-tongue 2 projects below the bend of said collar-clasp. The outer face of the lever '7 may be ornamented in any suitable manner, either by a jewel 13, a gem-setting, or by a number of variously-colored stones.

In applying our retainer the lower edge of the collar is inserted within the collar-clasp at the desired point either before or after the knot is formed in the scarf. When the neckband 14 of the tie or scarf is adjusted to the desired position below or on a line wit-h the lower edge of the collar, the lever 7 is thrown upward until the points 11 engage the band and firmly hold it in the adjusted position. To open the clasp and disengage the tie, a finger is caught either behind the tongue 7 at the top or by a slight outward pressure on one of the jewels.

It will be understood, of course, that the clasp which engages the tie may have a small jewel, stone, or other setting upon its outer or exposed side. This jewel or setting will be raised from the surface of the clasp, and being the only exposed portion of said clasp the setting or jewel serves a very useful purpose in serving as a convenient point to catch hold of to flex the clasp.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we form a very reliable necktie-retainer which is capable of ornamentation ina high degree, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and in which the onlyportion exposed to View will be a gem, jewel, or setting. It will also be seen that however wide the neckband 14 may be the retainer will hold its lower edge in the required position without forming unsightly folds at any point.

\Vithout desiring to be limited to the exact construct-ion shown and as we consider ourselves entitled to such changes and modifications as may fairly fall within the spirit and scope of our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim is- 1. A scarf-retainer consisting of a U -shaped collar-clasp, a neckband-retainer journaled to the lower doubled edge of the collar-clasp, points on the retainer-clasp to engage the neckband of the necktie, and a spring-tongue on the collar-clasp adapted to hold the retainer in its open and closed position, substantially as described.

2. A scarf-retainer comprising a collar-clasp having a downwardly projecting springtongue, integral pintle-bearings formed on said clasp at opposite sides of said tongue, at the lower edge of the clasp, a retainer-lever having side lugs and an end portion at right angles to the body of said lever, a pintle passing through the said bearings and lugs, points on thelever and apertures in the collar-clasp to accommodate the said points substantially as described.

3. A necktie-fasten er consisting of a collarclasp, a neckband-clasp hinged thereto and adapted to close upward upon the band of the tie, the exposed face of the neckband-clasp having outwardly-projecting settings thereon adapted to operate said neckbandclasp, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names, in presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of December, 1897.

JAMES A. FLOMERFELT. LAURENTIUS A. V. LUND. Witnesses:

C. J. SMITH, L. Z. SMITH. 

